Dutch process cocoa

In 1828, the Dutchman
Casparus van Houten Sr. discovered and patented a method for removing
fat known as cocoa butter from cocoa beans. The process involved
using a hydraulic press that removed around half of the cocoa butter
from the beans, and created a cake that could be ground up in to
cocoa powder. His son, Coenraad van Houten, later added another stage
to the process known as 'Dutching', where the powder was treated with
an alkaline salt which resulted in a neutral pH.

Dutch process cocoa meant
that a precursor to eating chocolate could be made by mixing the
powder with sugar and re-adding the cocoa butter. It is darker, yet
smoother and less intense in taste than untreated cocoa powder and
also more soluble. It is still in use today- a good example would be
the popular Oreo cookie. It is also used in baking, though due to its
lower acidity, it is typically used with baking powder rather than
soda, which requires the acidity in cocoa for it to be activated as a
raising agent.

A potential negative for
Dutch process cocoa is that it contains lower levels of antioxidants,
with one study proclaiming that around 60-90% of antioxidants were
removed depending on the level of 'Dutching'. It has been pointed out
that despite this, given cocoa's naturally high levels of
antioxidants, it still has a larger amount after the process than
many other food stuffs.